Self-aligning hub



Allgn 7, 1951 s. KuPERsMlTH 2,563,535

SELF`-ALIGNING HU Filed June 18, 1947 IIIIU l 1 Il mi 2f INVENTOR.

Patented Aug. 7, 1951 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE '2 Claims. 1

invention relates to `universal power transmission devices in general, and more particularly l l to dri-ve mechanisms adapted to compensate `for angular -misalignment between a prime mover and a-driven machine.

The angular misalignment of a prime mover and a driven machine is a detrimentto efficient-.i

operation. Misalignment will very often result in sprung or broken shafts, or burned .out bearings. The misalignment may be caused by an overloaded driven machine, or quite `often in mechanical misalignment when installed. Usually.v

when there is misalignment, all parts deflect .somewhat and the troubleis accentuated, -resulting in still greater misalignment.

`An object of 4my invention is .to provide a hub having .spherical external surfaces and a bearing having spherical internal surfaces to nt in a ball and socket manner upon the external surfaces of `the hub, with the provision of automatically 4aligned vforce .transmission members therebetween.

.Another object of my inventionis to provide a :universal hubV which will allow .a :free running fly `wheel member to position itself to rotate in a condition of perfect dynamic balance.

Still .another object of .my invention is to proand a driven member, which force transmission `pins have a flat surface adapted to contact a flat wall surface of one of the members, and have a responding curved surface contact on the other member, and are thereby adapted to automatically position themselves' to maintain large surface contact between the force transmission pins vide `force.transmission pins between a driving y `large curved surface contact area to contact a cory and the driving and `driven members regardless of fpartly in section with .thehub and bearing member there of misaligned; y Figure 6 is an assembled view of my device `partly in section with thehub and bearing member thereof aligned; and

Figure '7 is aside `view of Ymy preferred interconnecting pin member.

In the drawing, I illustratethe preferred embodiment of my invention as Aapplied to a V-belt .drive, but it is to be understood that this basic unit of .hub and bearing could be assembled in such devices as a flat .belt pulley, a conveyor belt pulley, or in a sprocket or wheel for chain drive. Also, my device will serve to .maintain perfect .alignment in devices such as mating 4gears which are ,subject to deection under load. AThat is, gears which are subject to heavy uloads may be perfectly `aligned when installed, but under loading deiiection they will become misaligned and therefore mate only on the outer ends of the gear teeth. "This is known as end bearing and of course, is the weakest part of the gear teeth` The` engineer ordinarily uses gears of large size to prevent breakage underthis deflection, but with my self-aligning device, the gears would always run together in perfect alignment, and therefore gears of smaller size may be used. Illustrate a hub .ID and a bearing member I4 with interconnecting vbearing pins 20 therebetween. This device may be used to transmit power from either member thereof to the other, but for the purpose of clarity in this description, it will be assumed that the hub I0 is driven by a suitable rotary power source through the shaft I2,` and that the bearing member i4 is. driven by force transmitted from the hub I0 by means of the bearing pins 2D.

As illustrated best in the Figure 3 of the drawings, the hub 10 is provided with spherical external surfaces II thereon. The bearing member I 4 comprises a half bearing portion I5 and a half bearing portion I 6. The half bearing portions I5 V 'and I6 have internal spherical surfaces A25 and 26 ingdescription and claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing, in which:

Figure 1 is a side-elecational view of my improved universal alignment drive member; vFigure 2 is a cross-sectional view through the line 2-2 of Figure 1, with a phantom view of the top pin and slot added in the position it would assume upon onequarter of one revolution of thehub;

Figure' 3 is an exploded view of my improved invention;

Figure 4 is a plan view of one of the half bearing members;

Figure 5.is anassembled view of my device respectively which are complementary to the eX- ternal spherical surface I I on the hub lll. Therefore, the half bearing portions .I5 and I6 may be closed together upon the hub IIJ and the internal surfaces 25 and 26 thereof will bearing the member I4 upon the hub I0. The half bearing portions 15 and I 6 may be bolted together by a plurality of bolts 23 positioned around the circumference of the members I5 and I6 as illustrated in the Figure l of the drawings.

In order to transmit driving force from the hub IG to the bearing member I4, or from the bearing member I 4 to the hub I0, I .have provided annularly spaced bearing pin members 2l) to interconnect the hub Il] and the bearing member I4. My invention is not limited to any number of such bearing pins 20, because one such pin would transmit the driving force and function as intended in my invention. However, in the particular design of the embodiment illustrated, two pin members 29 are spaced on opposite sides of the hub in substantially axial alignment with one another for practical operative construction; Also, in order to retain lubrication between bearing surfaces, the pressure between mating surfaces should not exceed a pressure large enough to force the lubricant from between the mating bearing surfaces. Therefore, I have' provided bearing pin members having the greatest possible bearing surfaces, in order that the unit pressure on the Ylubricantwill be as low as possible. Furthermore, in the correct design of my preferred embodiment, the projectedarea of the shank portion 2I of the pin 20 should be substantially equal -to the flat surface area 24 of the drive portion 22. Further a plurality of pins are provided in order to distribute the load and reduce the pressure on the lubricant still, further. The elimination of fline or point contact is the important feature of my invention. Itis virtually impossible to retain lubrication between points or lines of contact, and therefore wear takes its effect quite rapidly. Annularly spaced socket recesses are provided about 'the periphery of the hub I9. as is best illustrated in the Figure 1 of thedrawings, and further illusf.

drive portion 22 of the pin 20 is adapted to extend into the compounded slot formed by slots II Y compound slot to produce a surface area contact trated in the Figure 3 Vof the drawings.. These .socket recesses are indicated by the. reference character I3. ,Inthe embodiment as illustrated, the recesses I3 have longitudinal axes extending radially` of thehub I Band are equally spaced substantially 180 apartrabout theperiphery of the .hubIIl., A, s

The-bearing pins 20 andrecesses I3 are substantially identical, and as previously explained,

each of ,the bearing pins 20 may be used ndependently,.but two .oppositely positioned pins are Acommonly used for the purpose of distributing forces equally, about the periphery of the hub I9. Therefore, inthe. remainder, of this description reference will be made to only one bearing pin 28. lltmisA understood Vthat all V.bearing pins actually used will function in exactly the same way. The bearing .pinA 29 is provided with a shank 2| having cylindrical wall surfaces 30 adapted to fit complementary to theV wall surfaces of the socket recess I3.V In the illustratedembodiment, the wall surfaces 30 of the pin 20, and the wall surfaces.. of the recess I3 are cylindrical, and therefore the pin 20 may be turned in the recess I3. The pin 20.11as a drive portion 22 extending from the shank. 2I outwardly of the recess I3, and the driveportion 22 is provided with a surface contact area 24.

Each of thehalf bearing members I5 and I6 is provided with a` slot to correspond to each annularly spaced `recess I3. That is, in the illustrated embodiment of the invention two recesses I3for bearing pins 20 are employed. According- 1y, the half Abearing member I5 is provided with two annularly spaced slots I 8, and the half bearing member .I6 is provided with two annularly spaced slots I'I.A The slots I'I and I8 of the members I5 and I8 respectively, are annularly spaced toV correspond to or register with the recessesV I3. The slots divide the half bearings into segments joined by flange members 30 and 3l.

',Iherefore1 when the members I5 and I6 are assembled over the hub I9, the slots I'I and I8 are brought together to form one continuous long abutment surface slot, and the resulting slot 28 may be positioned to register with a recess I3. For each recess I3, therefore, there is a corresponding abutment slot on the bearing member I4. The

therebetween, as distinguished from a line contact therebetween. It is `to be understood that although only two socket recesses, and two corresponding slots are illustrated, a plurality of such slots and recesses may be provided, and one or two pins 20 inserted into alternate combinations of slot and recesses as wear on one combination takes place, in/,order to extend the useful life of the hub. i

In the illustration, I have shownpa V-belt drive member 2l secured to the bearing member' I4 for rotation therewith. However, any ,driven member, for example a flat belt drive or a gear might be secured to rotate with the bearing member I 4, but my invention is in no wise limited to such an adaptation. Y

Thecompound slots formed by slots I'I and I8 are closed on each end by annular flange member 30 on half bearing I5 and flange member v3l on half bearing I6, andare closed on the bottom by the spherical surface II of hub I9. The'internal surface of the V-belt drive member 2'I .then 'closes the top of the slots. Therefore, grease sideways movements of the at surface of the pin 2U relative to the at surface I9, and there will be no rotary movement of the pin shank ZI in the recess I3. However, misalignment of the planes A and B often occurs and then the planes A and B will be offset relative to one another as illustrated in the Figure 2. The angle between A and B is the amount of misalignmcnt between the top position in Figure 2 and the axis of thew'm shaft I2 will be shifted sideways relative to one another, but will remain in a plane common to both. Consequently, the surface contact area 24 of the pin 20 is also in a plane with the axis of e the shaft I2.

When the pin 2U moves from they uppermost position illustrated in Figure 2 .to a position wherein its longitudinal axis is horizontal, or in other words as shown in the phantom lines behind the shaft I2 in the Figure 2, the surface contact area 24 and the flat surface I9 on the bearing member I4 will be in a position at an angle to the axis of the shaft I2 rather than in a plane with the axis of shaft I2.. Therefore, when the plug 20 is in the top position as illustrated in the Figure 2J the surface contact area 24 thereof is ina plane with the axis of the shaft I2, but when the pinZIl-is in a horizontal position, the surface contact area 24 thereof is at an angle to the axis of the shaft I2. In order to maintain the surface contact area 24 in flat contact with the fiat surface I9, the shank 2| of the pin 20 will turn in the socket I3 as the pin 20 moves from the vertical to the horizontal position. Also, when the plane of rotation A and B are misaligned relative to one another as illustrated in the Figure 2, the pin 20 will be at the left side of the flat surface I9 when in the uppermost position as illustrated in the Figure 2, but will be at the right side of the flat surface I9 when in the lower position as illustrated in the Figure 2. Therefore, as the pin 20 revolves about the shaft I2, it is required to move from the left to the right side of the flat surface I9. Accordingly, the surface contact area 24 of the pin 20 must slide relative to the fiat surface I9 of the bearing member I4. Thus, as the pin 20 revolves about the shaft I2, if the planes of rotation A and B are misaligned relative to one another. the plug 20 is turned in the socket I3 and slides relative to the fiat surface I9. Thus, the pin 20 is adapted to transmit force from one of the members to the other member and will always maintain a surface area contact between the surface contact area 24 and the fiat surface I9.

Although the most obvious use for my device is the automatic alignment of pulleys and gears as described, another important use may be made of the device, and it is believed best to specifically point it out.

Fly wheels, and in fact all rapidly rotating members are subject to dynamic unbalance as Well as static unbaiance. However, a wheel may be in perfect static balance, and be in dynamic imbalance. If the Wheel is mounted on a shaft with ordinary bearings, a severe vibration will be set up. But, if the wheel is mounted on the shaft with my improved device, the wheel may find its proper plane of rotation, and therefore there will be no vibration or undue wear of bearings.

Although I have described my invention in its preferred form with a certain degree of particularity, it is understood that the present disclosure of the preferred form has been made only by Way of example and that numerous changes in the details of construction and the combination and arrangement of parts may be resorted to without departing from the spirit and the scope of the invention as hereinafter claimed.

What is claimed is:

1. Self-alignment drive means comprising, a ball hub member having a spherical external surface, a first and second socket member portion each having a radial flange and a plurality of yannularly spaced segment members extending laterally from said flange, said radial iiange of said first and second socket members constituting a connection for holding the segments together, said segments each having flat side walls derining annularly spaced abutment Wall portions therebetween, said segment members each having a spherical internal surface, means securing the said rst and second socket portions together, with the segments extending between said flanges as a bearing unit about said ball hub with the internal spherical surfaces of the bearing unit being complementary to the external spherical surface of the ball hub member, said annular spaced abutment wall portions of said first and second socket members registering and defining complete bearing unit flat wall abutment surfaces, said ball hub member having a plurality of cylindrical socket recesses annular spaced about the said spherical external surface each extending from the surface inwardly of the ball hub member, each socket recess having a longitudinal axis extending radially of `the bali hub member,

interconnecting bearing pin member extending from at least one of said socket recesses of the ball hub member, said pin member having a cylindrical shank portion with wall surfaces complementary to the wall surfaces of the recess and being adapted to rotatably seat in said recess, and having a flat surface drive portion adapted to extend from the recess and contact the fiat surface thereof against a flat wall abutment surface of the bearing unit, said flat surface contact area and the projected area of the cylindrical surface of the pin being substantially equal to provide substantially equal surface pressure during drive transmission.

2. Self-alignment drive means comprising, a ball hub member having spherical external surface, a first and second socket member portion each having a radial flange and a plurality of an nularly spaced segment members extending laterally from said ange, said radial flange of said rst and second socket members constituting a connection for holding the segments together, said segments each having fiat side walls defining annularly spaced abutment wall portions therebetween, said segment members each having a spherical internal surface, means securing the said first and second socket portions together as a bearing unit about said ball hub with the internal spherical surfaces of the bearing unit being complementary to the external spherical surface of the ball hub member, said annular spaced abutment wall portions of said first and second socket members registering and defining complete bearing unit hat wall abutment surfaces, said ball hub member having a plurality of cylindrical socket recesses annularly spaced about the said sphericai external surface each extending from the surface inwardly of the ball hub member, each socket recess having a longitudinal axis extending radially of the ball hub member, an interconnecting bearing pin member extending from at least one of said socket recesses of the ball hub member, said pin member having a cylindrical shank portion with Wall surfaces complementary to the wall surfaces of the recess and being adapted to rotatably seat in said recess, and having a fiat surface drive portion adapted to extend from the recess and contact the at surface thereof against a flat wall abutment surface of the bearing unit, said flat surface contact area and the projected area of the cylindrical surface of the pin being substantially equal to provide substantially equal surface pressure during drive transmission.

LEO S. KUPERSMITH.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 294,877 Jarvis Mar. 11, 1884 352,220 Bushnell Nov. 9, 1886 1,188,965 Maxwell et al June 27, 1916` 1,269,068 Evans June 1l, 1918 1,680,886 Beyer May 3l, 1927 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 284,948 Great Britain of 1928 

